[snip]Armed with a shotgun, wearing masks over their faces and carrying rope, the two men knocked on the door of the Taylor home. When Taylor, 58, a former part-time police officer, answered the door, the two men shoved their way inside.

The men had Taylor on the floor, strangling him, and were demanding money and the location of a safe when Taylor's wife, hearing the commotion, came downstairs and told the men she had expensive jewelry upstairs. While they were focused on the jewelry box, Taylor got his handgun. The man with the shotgun pointed it at Taylor, who opened fire, shooting the man several times. [snip]

[Sheriff Pat] Hartshorn said the results of his investigation will be turned over to the state's attorney's office, but "we haven't found anything in our investigation that (Taylor) did anything other than comply with the law."

> Police later arrested the 17-year-old getaway driver
> still in the truck, and he was held Tuesday on
> preliminary charges of home invasion until formal charges
> are filed today by the Vermilion County State’s
> Attorney’s Office.

Shouldn’t the charge be murder?

If I remember correctly, if ANYBODY gets killed during the commission of a crime, the surviving perpetrators get charged with MURDER.

7
posted on 09/23/2009 8:25:08 AM PDT
by Westbrook
(Having more children does not divide your love, it multiplies it.)

I wonder why those criminal morons chose the police officers home? Perhaps the home looked like ‘rich’ old people lived there and an easy target not knowing the owner was an ex-police officer. They deserved what they got!

Went to high school with Pat Hartshorn. Good guy. I expect the former cop will be found to have acted in self defense. I always love to see criminals get their due. Two less scumbags to prey on innocent people.

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